Taxonomic revision, phylogenetic analysis, and biogeography of the bee genus Tropidopedia (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Tapinotaspidini)

The species of the bee genus Tropidopedia stat. nov. are revised. Thirteen new species are proposed: T. carinata sp. nov. , T. caracicola sp. nov. , T. danunciae sp. nov. , T. duckeana sp. nov. , T. eliasi sp. nov. , T. flavolineata sp. nov. , T. friesei sp. nov. , T. japuraensis sp. nov. , T. nigrita sp. nov. , T. nigrocarinata sp. nov. , T. ornata sp. nov. , T. peruana sp. nov. and T. venezuelana sp. nov. Taxonomic notes are provided for another four species: Tropidopedia punctifrons (Smith, 1879) comb. nov. , T. pallidipennis (Friese, 1899) comb. nov. , T. seabrai (Michener & Moure, 1957) and T. arcuatilis (Vachal, 1909) comb. nov. , including designation of a lectotype for Tetrapedia arcuatilis Vachal. An identification key, illustrations for main diagnostic characters, and distributions maps for all species are provided. A phylogenetic analysis was carried out to evaluate the monophyly of Tropidopedia and its main species groups, as well as to position it among the related genera. Biogeographical patterns are discussed.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 151 , 511–554.     

Preliminary checklist of the orchids of Chile

This article provides a preliminary checklist of the orchids occurring in Chile, based on historical and recently published literature. Data compilation was assisted by using databases available on the Web (IPNI, W³Tropicos and KR). The list comprises seven genera ( Aa , Bipinnula , Brachystele , Chloraea , Codonorchis , Gavilea and Habenaria ) and 50 taxa (49 species and one variety), 25 of which are believed to be endemic to Chile. It includes the publication of a new combination, Gavilea feuilleana comb. nov.   © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 143 , 449−451.     

Speciation in Darwin's darklings: taxonomy and evolution of Stomion beetles in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador (Insecta: Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Stomion is one of three speciose and taxonomically difficult genera of flightless Darwin's darkling beetles of the Galápagos Islands. The previously named species and subspecies of Stomion are analysed by morphometric and cladistic methods. Eleven species are here recognized, which probably descended from colonization by a single ancestral species. Cladistic analysis yielded two weakly supported clades that are different from previously published morphological and allozyme genotype groups. Phenotypic and genotypic characters may be evolving independently. There is much within-species variation, but there is no compelling evidence of adaptive radiation in Stomion , in contrast to that in the famous Darwin's finches. The analyses show the need for changes in morpho-species taxonomy: S. punctipennis Van Dyke ( syn. nov. ) is elevated to full species from a subspecies of S. galapagoensis Waterhouse. There is no evidence to support the validity of: S. laevigatum santacruzensi Franz ( syn. nov. ), synonomized here under S. l. laevigatum Waterhouse; S. galapagoensis leleupi Kaszab ( syn. nov. ), synonomized here under S. linelli Blair; S. galapagoensis pinzoni Franz ( syn. nov. ), synonomized here under S. obesum Van Dyke. S. genovesa sp. nov. is described from Genovesa Island. Lectotypes are designated for S. galapagoensis Waterhouse, S. laevigatum Waterhouse and S. helopoides Waterhouse .   © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 141 , 135–152.     

Phylogenetic relationships in the tribe Oxyptilini (Lepidoptera,Pterophoridae, Pterophorinae) based on morphological data of adults

The monophyly of the tribe Oxyptilini and phylogenetic relationships of the genera embraced in this tribe were examined using 171 (75 binary and 96 multistate) characters of adult morphology. The study material included 98 species of 30 genera, representing all previously recognized genera of Oxyptilini, together with the genera Sphenarches, Antarches, Diacrotricha, and Cosmoclostis, four species of Oidaematophorini, three species of Platyptiliini, as well as three and two other species belonging to Pterophorini and Exelastini respectively. Two Agdistis species were used as outgroups. The cladistic analysis resulted in six equally parsimonious trees. A majority of the recovered synapomorphic characters have previously been used in the taxonomy of the subfamily. However, 25 novel characters were found. The monophyly of Oxyptilini was supported, although only with homoplastic characters and low amounts of tree confidence; the genera Capperia, Procapperia, Paracapperia, Oxyptilus, Megalorhipida, and Trichoptilus were found to be nonmonophyletic; Sphenarches and Antarches were recovered as members of Oxyptilini; the two genera Cosmoclostis and Diacrotricha were placed out of Oxyptilini, inside the tribe Pterophorini; and close affinity of the genus Dejongia to Stangeia, Stenodacma, Megalorhipida, Trichoptilus, and Buckleria species was revealed. Four new combinations, Cosmoclostis lanceata (Arenberger) comb. nov. , Nippoptilia regulus (Meyrick) comb. nov. , Capperia tadzhica (Zagulajev) comb. nov. , and Buckleria negotiosus (Meyrick) comb. nov. are proposed; Capperia insomnis Townsend was considered as a senior synonym of Procapperia hackeri Arenberger syn. nov. , Buckleria negotiosus (Meyrick) as a senior synonym of Buckleria vanderwolfi Gielis syn. nov. , and Oxyptilus variegatus Meyrick syn. nov. as a junior synonym of Oxyptilus secutor Meyrick. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 163 , 484–547.     

A synopsis of Goniothalamus species (Annonaceae) in Peninsular Malaysia, with a description of a new species

The species of Goniothalamus (Annonaceae) occurring in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore are revised, updating the previous taxonomic treatment by James Sinclair, published in 1955. A total of 18 species is recognized, including a new species, G. tomentosus . Collections referrable to G. tomentosus were previously determined as ' G. marcanii '; examination of the types of G. marcanii reveals that the two taxa are not conspecific, however, and a new name is accordingly validated here. Goniothalamus tomentosus has closest affinities with the Javan/Sumatran species G. costulatus . Other important nomenclatural changes include the reduction of G. umbrosus to synonymy with G. tapis .  © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 142 , 321−339.     

Phylogeny and taxonomy of thegenera of south-western North American Euctenizinae trapdoor spidersand their relatives (Araneae: Mygalomorphae, Cyrtaucheniidae)

The primary focus of this paper is to evaluate the monophylyand intergeneric relationships of the cyrtaucheniid subfamily Euctenizinaeand to a lesser degree the monophyly of Cyrtaucheniidae. Using 71morphological characters scored for 29 mygalomorph taxa our cladisticanalysis shows that Cyrtaucheniidae is likely paraphyletic withrespect to the Domiothelina, the clade that comprises the Migidae,Actinopodidae, Ctenizidae, and Idiopidae. Together, the Domiothelinaand Cyrtaucheniidae have been treated as the Rastelloidina clade.A strict interpretation of rastelloid classification based on ourcladogram would require the establishment of four additional spiderfamilies. However, we choose to use informal names for these cladesso that these taxa can be validated by subsequent studies of mygalomorphphylogeny before formal names are introduced. The phylogenetic analysisalso serves as a vehicle for examining the patterns of homoplasyobserved in mygalomorphs. The secondary focus of this paper is ataxonomic revision of Euctenizinae genera from the south-westernUnited States that includes a key to its genera. The cyrtaucheniid genera Enrico and Astrosoga areconsidered junior synonyms of Eucteniza. Actinoxia and Nemesoides arejunior ­synonyms of Aptostichus . At present theNorth American Euctenizinae comprises these seven nominal genera: Eucteniza, Neoapachella gen.nov. ( Neoapachella rothi sp. nov. ), Myrmekiaphila,Entychides, Promyrmekiaphila, Apomastus gen. nov. ( Apomastusschlingeri sp. nov. ), and Aptostichus .  © 2002The Linnean Society of London . Zoological Journal of the LinneanSociety, 2002, 136 , 487−534     

Systematic revision of Hoggicosa Roewer, 1960, the Australian ‘bicolor’ group of wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae)

The Australian wolf spider genus Hoggicosa Roewer, 1960 with the type species Hoggicosa errans (Hogg, 1905) is revised to include ten species: Hoggicosa alfi sp. nov. ; Hoggicosa castanea (Hogg, 1905) comb. nov. (= Lycosa errans Hogg, 1905 syn. nov. ; = Lycosa perinflata Pulleine, 1922 syn. nov. ; = Lycosa skeeti Pulleine, 1922 syn. nov. ); Hoggicosa bicolor (McKay, 1973) comb. nov. ; Hoggicosa brennani sp. nov. ; Hoggicosa duracki (McKay, 1975) comb. nov. ; Hoggicosa forresti (McKay, 1973) comb. nov. ; Hoggicosa natashae sp. nov. ; Hoggicosa snelli (McKay, 1975) comb. nov. ; Hoggicosa storri (McKay, 1973) comb. nov. ; and Hoggicosa wolodymyri sp. nov. The Namibian Hoggicosa exigua Roewer, 1960 is transferred to Hogna, Hogna exigua (Roewer, 1960) comb. nov. A phylogenetic analysis including nine Hoggicosa species, 11 lycosine species from Australia and four from overseas, with Arctosa cinerea Fabricius, 1777 as outgroup, supported the monophyly of Hoggicosa, with a larger distance between the epigynum anterior pockets compared to the width of the posterior transverse part. The analysis found that an unusual sexual dimorphism for wolf spiders (females more colourful than males), evident in four species of Hoggicosa, has evolved multiple times. Hoggicosa are burrowing lycosids, several constructing doors from sand or debris, and are predominantly found in semi‐arid to arid regions of Australia. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 158 , 83–123.     

Systematics of the spider genus Metabus O. P.-Cambridge, 1899 (Araneoidea: Tetragnathidae) with additions to the tetragnathid fauna of Chile and comments on the phylogeny of Tetragnathidae

The spider genus Metabus (Tetragnathidae) previously included nine species: the type M. gravidus O. P.-Cambridge, 1899 – junior synonym of Leucauge ocellata (Keyserling) – from Central America and eight species from Chile. In this paper, the classification of the Metabus species-complex is revised, and two new genera, with three new species and five new combinations, are described. Allende gen. nov. is created for four Chilean species not congeneric with the type of Metabus : the type A. puyehuensis sp. nov. , A. patagiatus (Simon) comb. nov. , A. nigrohumeralis (F. O. P.-Cambridge) comb. nov. and A. longipes (Nicolet) comb. nov. Further additions to the Chilean fauna are under the new genus Mollemeta gen. nov. – created for M. edwardsi (Simon) comb. nov. – and three new species of Chrysometa : C. acinosa sp. nov. , C. levii sp. nov. and C. maitae sp. nov. Metabus now includes four species: M. ocellatus (Keyserling) comb. nov. , M. debilis (O. P.-Cambridge) comb. nov. , M. ebanoverde sp. nov. and M. conacyt sp. nov. All of these species were included in a phylogenetic analysis of 38 tetragnathid and 12 orbicularian outgroup terminals scored for 105 morphological and behavioural characters. The results suggest that Metabus as previously circumscribed is polyphyletic. The phylogenetic relationships within tetragnathids are briefly discussed. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 151 , 285–335.     

Revision and phylogenetic assessment of the rove beetle genus Pseudohesperus Hayashi,with broad reference to the subtribe Philonthina (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini)

This paper studies the phylogeny of the rove beetle subtribe Philonthina, to test its hypothetical monophyly and to unravel the evolutionary relationships of the subtribe and its included genus‐level taxa, with emphasis on the genus Pseudohesperus and its close‐allied relatives. The phylogenetic analyses are based on 105 adult morphological characters and 66 terminal taxa, i.e., all six members of Pseudohesperus, 51 species to represent 29 other genera of the subtribe Philonthina, seven species to represent the other six subtribes of Staphylinini, one species of the tribes Arrowinini, and one of the Platyprosopini. According to the phylogenetic results obtained, the genus Erichsonius should move out from the hitherto‐defined subtribe Philonthina and thus the monophyly of this taxon is challenged. The phylogenetic tree suggests that the genera Hesperus and Belonuchus might not be monophyletic, but the monophyly of Pseudohesperus and the sister relationship between it and Bisnius are well supported. The species‐level phylogenetic relationships of the genus Pseudohesperus reveal a clear pattern of species diversification that can be correlated well with the species' zoogeographical patterns. The paper also revises the taxonomy of Pseudohesperus and describes five new species from China: Pseudohesperus luteus Li & Zhou sp. nov. , Pseudohesperus pedatiformis Li & Zhou sp. nov. , Pseudohesperus tripartitus Li & Zhou sp. nov. , Pseudohesperus sparsipunctatus Li & Zhou sp. nov. , and Bisnius lubricus Li & Zhou sp. nov. An identification key to the species of Pseudohesperus is provided and their geographical distributions are mapped. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 163 , 679–722.     

The old wasp and the tree: fossils, phylogeny and biogeography in the Orussidae (Insecta, Hymenoptera)

The phylogenetic relationships of the fossil orussid taxa Mesorussus taimyrensis and Minyorussus luzzi are examined by analysing them together with a large data set compiled previously for the extant Orussidae. The fossils are placed in an unresolved trichotomy with the extant Orussidae. The phylogeny is used for evaluating the hypothesis that the ancestors of the family had reduced body size; the results of this analysis are inconclusive. The biogeographical history of the Orussidae is explored. The common ancestor of the family was probably widespread, the initial splitting events taking place prior to or coinciding with the separation of Laurasia from Gondwana. Later putative vicariance events can be correlated with the gradual breakup of Gondwana. However, the biogeographical history of the Orussidae is dominated by speciation within regions and dispersal. The minimum age of the common ancestor of the Orussidae is >180 Myr when estimated from the biogeographical pattern, >95 Myr when estimated from the phylogenetic position of the fossils; the earlier date is considered to be the most likely.  © 2004 The Linnean Society of London , Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 82 , 139–160.     

Two new basal crocodylomorph archosaurs from the Lower Jurassic and the monophyly of the Sphenosuchia

We report on and name two new taxa of basal crocodylomorph archosaurs from the Lower Jurassic, Litargosuchus leptorhynchus gen. et sp. nov. , from the upper Elliot Formation (Stormberg Group) of South Africa, and Kayentasuchus walkeri gen. et sp. nov. , from the Kayenta Formation (Glen Canyon Group) of Arizona, USA. Examination of this material led to a reconsideration of basal crocodylomorph interrelationships. A phylogenetic analysis found no support for the monophyly of Sphenosuchia.  © 2002 The Linnean Society of London. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2002, 136 , 77–95.     

Morphology and phylogenetic relationships of a new eschrichtiid genus (Cetacea: Mysticeti) from the Early Pliocene of northern Italy

A new eschrichtiid, Eschrichtioides gastaldii gen. nov., comb. nov. , is established based on a specimen previously assigned to Balaenoptera gastaldii Portis, 1885. The holotype is from the Early Pliocene of north-east Italy. It represents a fossil mysticete closely related to the living grey whale, Eschrichtius robustus . Comparative morphology and phylogenetic analysis support the monophyly of Eschrichtiidae and Cetotherium -like mysticetes and a sister group relationship between this clade and Balaenopteridae. Eschrichtiid fossils previously described are all from the Pleistocene and Late Pliocene while Eschrichtioides gastaldii is from the Early Pliocene. The recognition of this new eschrichtiid genus suggests that the Mediterranean trophic web of the Early Pliocene was more complex than at present and that the Neogene mysticete family-level biodiversity of the Mediterranean was higher than that currently observed in this basin.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 153 , 161–186.     

A new species of Arabis (Brassicaceae) from inner Anatolia

A new species of Arabis L., A. erikii Mutlu sp. nov. , is described and illustrated. The species is restricted to inner Anatolia, south-west of Sivas. It grows on steppes. Diagnostic morphological characters are given for discrimination from the most similar taxa.  © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 145 , 251–256.